2010 volleyball

Bluffton 3, Rose-Hulman 0

Loss of power doesn't stop Beavers in sweep of Rose-Hulman

BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University women's volleyball team exited their final
regular season match in Founders Hall with a crucial victory under their belts as
they defeated HCAC rival Rose-Hulman in three sets, 25-20, 25-19, 25-17. The Beavers
played lights out defense, literally, on Senior Night, as midway through the first
set, with Rose leading 13-12 on the heels of a Bluffton timeout, the power in Founders
as well as Bluffton as a whole went out for over 90 minutes. When play resumed, the
Beavers took advantage and rolled off a 25-20 victory in the first set which spanned
two and a half hours.

Seniors Mandi Leemaster (Fremont/Old Fort), Heather Rodman (Mansfield/Mansfield-Christian), Shauna Rowland (Bucyrus/Wynford), and Allison Streicher (Continental/Continental) were honored prior to this afternoon's match. With the
win, the Beavers improved to 19-6 and 5-2 in the HCAC while Rose-Hulman slipped to
16-7 overall and 4-3 in the HCAC.

A balanced attack allowed Rowland to distribute 32 assists. Junior Nicole Wood (Tiffin/Hopwell-Loudon) led all Bluffton's hitters with 10 kills, and she was followed
by the trio of Streicher, junior Courtney Zimmerman (Leesburg/Fairfield), and sophomore Heather Schierer (Crescent Springs, Ky./St. Henry) who pounded eight kills each. Rodman rounded out
the offense with seven kills.

Rowland also led the team with 15 digs, while Leemaster and Streicher chipped in nine
digs and Schierer scooped up eight digs. At the net, Zimmerman led with two solo block
and three block assists and Rodman had one solo block and three assists. Schierer
and Streicher also contributed on the defensive frontline as they had three and two
block assists, respectively. Schierer served eight straight points in the second,
helping Bluffton put a 5-0 deficit to start the set in the rearview mirror as the
home team pulled away for the 25-19 win.

The Beavers finish out their regular season schedule on the road when they next travel
to rival Defiance College for a Wednesday night showdown. They will then take on non-conference
opponent DePauw University on Friday night before tackling HCAC foe Franklin College
Saturday afternoon.